Decision-making in balancing fire safety hazards against security threats within the built environment

Abstract

The built environment faces challenges from fire hazards and threats by malicious actors. Risks presented from these hazards and threats are managed through the practices of fire safety and physical security. Whilst distinct disciplines, both impact the built environment systems, resulting in potential conflict. To manage this conflict, a complex process is required. Through the framework of Governmentality, using a mixed methods approach, the study explored the process which fire safety engineers and security practitioners undertake to manage this conflict. The study produced a conceptual model that explains how practitioners operate and manage risk associated with fire safety hazards and security threats. The model indicates that the process for resolving conflicts is a dichotomy between physical security and fire safety, with fire safety being the most dominate and influential. Nevertheless, both fire safety and physical security are subservient to building regulations in this process; however unlike security, fire safety is codified through building regulations. Risk assessment and the design process are core processes, but only used in decision-making when there is conflict between the fire safety and physical security. Findings demonstrated that context remains static for greater threats, whereas context is dynamic for fire safety.